November 09, 2010

DOJ: No Charges For CIA Videotape Destruction

The Justice Department announced today that prosecutors are not bringing charges against Rodriguez and other CIA personnel for the destruction of CIA videotapes depicting the interrogation of detainees.

A Justice spokesman said in a written statement that the special prosecutor assigned to the case, John Durham, “conducted an exhaustive investigation” before concluding the probe did not warrant criminal charges. The statement did not provide a reason for Durham’s decision.

“This is the right decision because of the facts and the law,” Bennett said in a written statement. “Jose Rodriguez is an American hero, a true patriot who only wanted to protect his people and his country.”

In an interview, Bennett declined to elaborate on the reasons DOJ declined to bring charges. He called the DOJ’s announcement “good news.”

In January 2008, then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed Durham, a veteran assistant U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to investigate the destruction of the CIA videotapes. Former U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg of Virginia, who is now a Hogan Lovells partner, recused himself in the investigation.